
Namita Nayyar:
Five foods you absolutely love and five you keep to a minimum.
Michaela Blyde:
I love:
Baked Beans (every day without a doubt)
Roast lamb (I’m a country girl that needs her meat)
Any summer fruit e.g. peaches, nectarines, raspberries, blackberries
Ice cream
Chips and dip
To a minimum:
Blue cheese
Not a fan of olives
Hot spice
Silver beet
Mushrooms
Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your hair care and skincare routine.
Michaela Blyde:
Bless ya! My skin isn’t glowing all the time I promise you that! I have had my struggles with acne in the past, especially after the Tokyo Olympics when I was struggling with masks due to COVID and sweating a lot. But I like to keep things simple using Emma Lewisham products and using red light masks. I also get treatments from my Cosmetic Clinic to help keep my skin hydrated and fresh with all the sweating I do. But at the end of the day I’m all about who I am as a human rather than how good my skin looks.
Trust me when I say this, my hair is gross haha!! I wash it once a week; go to the hair salon twice a year and use basic supermarket shampoo. If I even remotely tried to keep on top of my hair health, I would be broke. It’s too hard when I am sweating all the time with training and playing rugby. The more oil and grease in my hair, the better it stays in a bun when I train and play rugby. I also use Slick Hair wax sticks for playing so my baby hairs don’t annoy me.

Namita Nayyar:
Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.
Michaela Blyde:
I only wear Adidas as I am personally sponsored by them and they support all New Zealand rugby teams. We are very blessed to receive lots of Adidas gear at the start of each season and new boots to play in. When I receive a lot, or have old stuff that I don’t wear anymore, I like giving it to my family or to young girls so they have training clothes to wear. It makes me feel so good to have the ability to provide others with amazing Adidas gear; they are a great sponsor who believes in me as a proud NZ athlete.
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list.
Michaela Blyde:
Hawaii, Cancun, New York, Japan (to go snowboarding one day), and Switzerland.
Namita Nayyar:
During the Covid pandemic. Tell us more about a routine to remain fit in those challenging times?
Michaela Blyde:
I still had a structured training plan to follow while in COVID lockdowns and was only a 5 minute drive away from my local rugby club in Taranaki so it was very easy for me to continue training. The motivation was tested, especially because my team was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics but they were postponed due to COVID so we had to wait an extra year to play at the Tokyo Olympics. It was also fun training with my family and coming up with different ways to stay entertained. However I was staying at my parent’s farm and their days didn’t change as they still had to work every day so I was doing something with them outside of the house to keep busy.
Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and the message for its visitors?
Michaela Blyde:
What an incredible platform to showcase the powerful, inspirational women we have in our sporting world. It’s important we keep up lifting females who excel in their sport, as well as those who just love being active and fit. The more we continue to support these women, the more exposure we get to the public about our successes.
It’s not just all about the men anymore, we women are breaking the ceilings in what is expected of us, were exceeding those expectations and breaking records and becoming household names in the sporting world. So thank you to the visitors for supporting fit women, and for supporting women in general.
Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding Rugby Playing girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of playing Rugby?
Michaela Blyde:
Never be afraid of showing your strengths and talents and be proud of being a girl that loves rugby. For so long rugby was a male dominated sport that females weren’t “allowed” to play. But now we are the ones drawing in sell-out crowds, we are putting on performances globally at international competitions; we are breaking records at Olympic Games.
Come be a part of that legacy, come show what powerful, strong girls can do on the rugby field because no matter where you come from, what size you are, rugby is such an inviting sport that brings a loving community together.
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.